Bill Clinton said to be in talks to 'smooth wife's path to Cabinet;' but would she take job?

Former president Bill Clinton "has offered to submit future charitable and business activities to strict ethics reviews if his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, were nominated as secretary of state, according to Democrats familiar with the deliberations," The Wall Street Journal is reporting.

The Journal adds that Bill Clinton "has also agreed for the first time to disclose many of the previous donors to his efforts" and that:

A small team of aides to President-elect Barack Obama and the Clintons has been negotiating for the past two days in Washington, say people involved in the talks. The goal is to try to overcome concerns that the former president's global business and philanthropic activities could appear to pose conflicts of interest between the Obama administration's foreign policy and the private financial interests of the family of the country's top diplomat.

But also this morning, Politico reports that "Hillary Rodham Clinton isn't certain she would accept the Secretary of State
post even if Barack Obama offers it to her, several people close to the former
first lady say. Press reports that portray Clinton as willing to accept
the job –- once the Obama transition team vets Bill Clinton's philanthropic and
business ventures -– are inaccurate, one Clinton insider told Politico."

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About Catalina Camia

Catalina Camia leads the OnPolitics online community and has been at USA TODAY since 2005. She has been a reporter or editor covering politics and Congress for two decades, including stints at The Dallas Morning News and Congressional Quarterly. Follow her at @USATOnPolitics.